


things you said

by tootsonnewts



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: M/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Tumblr Prompt, prompt collection, there's some angst, there's some fluff, this is just a mish mash of prompts i filled out that i wanted to put together, why not both.gif
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-12-10 06:29:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 5,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11685978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tootsonnewts/pseuds/tootsonnewts
Summary: this is a collection of prompts i filled on tumblr for the "things you said" tag.i thought it would be nice to put them all in one place together.chapters are named for the number the prompt was assigned in the original list, and are as follows:Chapter 1 -2. things you said through your teeth- otayuriChapter 2 -3. things you said too quietly- otayuriChapter 3 -6./12./18. things you said under the stars and in the grass when you thought i was asleep and you were scared- otayuriChapter 4 -9. things you said when i was crying- otayuriChapter 5 -10. things you said that made me feel like shit- otayuriChapter 6 -15. things you said with too many miles between us- otayuriChapter 7 -16. things you said with no space between us- otayuriChapter 8 -20. things you said that i wasn’t meant to hear- viktuuriChapter 9 -23.A things you said [under your breath]- viktuuriChapter 10 -23.B things you said [through the bedroom door]- otayuriChapter 11 -23.C things you said [while we were stuck in an elevator]- otayuri





	1. 2. things you said through your teeth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> as requested by [kiazareni](https://http://kiazareni.tumblr.com/)

“I  _trusted_  you!” Yuri hisses in his face.

It’s true. They made a promise going into this thing that they would be honest and upfront and always have each other’s backs. But sometimes, situations change. People change. Not everything remains the same.

“I’m sorry, Yura, but I had to do what I had to do.”

Yuri clenches his jaw and glares up at Otabek from his place in the middle of the room.

“You  _promised_  me this wouldn’t happen. You  _swore._ ”

“Well, I’m sorry. I truly am.”

“If you were sorry, you WOULDN’T HAVE DONE IT!”

Otabek flinches at Yuri’s shout. It’s been so long since they’ve yelled at each other that he almost forgot what it sounded like.

“Yura, please. You’re making a scene. We don’t need anyone’s attention right now.”

“Oh, I’m  _making a scene_ , huh? I’m surprised nobody is already coming over! All they have to do is follow the smell of TOTAL AND COMPLETE BETRAYAL.”

“Come on, honey bee. It’s not that serious.”

“Don’t you honey bee me! It  _is_  that serious! The only agreement we had was this and you  _ruined it_.”

Yuri’s back to speaking through his teeth again, and Otabek closes his eyes and sighs.

“Alright fine. If it’s that big of a deal to you, I’ll give you a pass to do it to me.”

Yuri’s eyes widen and shine and just like that, he knows he’s got him back.

“Really? You won’t get pissed?”

“I won’t get pissed, I promise.”

“You already broke a promise to me once today.”

Ouch.

“I know, but I’ll keep this one.”

Yuri’s face stretches into a predatory grin and he steps forward, pushing until he has Otabek backed into the nearest corner. He kisses up Otabek’s jaw, ending with a nip at his earlobe. Otabek feels the gun press into his chest and looks into Yuri’s eyes just in time to watch his face light up as he pulls the trigger.

“Thanks, Beka.”

His team is going to be pissed when they find out why they just lost their laser tag game by fifteen points, but getting to watch Yuri’s ass swing as he saunters away makes the loss totally worth it.


	2. 3. things you said too quietly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> as requested by [altin-s](http://altin-s.tumblr.com/)

Yuri has never been a quiet person. That’s not to say he isn’t thoughtful and mellow when required, it just means that whenever he has something to say, it will be said and heard and understood by all. This is why Otabek is so confused.

See, they maintain their friendship through multiple channels. These range from texts, to phone calls, to skype calls, and sometimes even emails, with the type and frequency shifting as the situation demands. Lately, all of their communication has been occurring through phone and skype calls. Otabek prefers this. He likes to hear Yuri’s voice. It’s easier to handle the distance that way.

The years have been kind to Yuri. He’s grown, both mentally and physically, into an incredible man – tall and broad shouldered, piercing gaze fine-tuned to a nearly lethal degree, personality smoothed out around the edges, all fierceness and passion redirected into healthier expressions of loyalty and protectiveness. He’s everything to Otabek. It’s terrifying.

The one thing time hasn’t smoothed away is Yuri’s quick tongue and brashness. So lately, Yuri’s tendency to mumble has been…strange. And it’s not just his voice that’s been mumbling, it’s his body too. Yuri is an expressive person all around. Even if his mouth isn’t moving,  _he_ is. Otabek can read him like a book. Lately, though, he’s been having trouble figuring out what Yuri’s saying. It’s like a wire is getting crossed somewhere. It’s nerve-wracking, because there isn’t another person on earth that Otabek relates to in the same way, and he feels it slipping through his fingers more and more every day.

“Beka? Beka, are you even listening to me?”

Otabek snaps out of his thoughts and realizes that no, he really hasn’t been listening. Maybe it’s not just Yuri who’s been drifting away.

“I’m sorry, Yura, I got distracted by something.”

“Hmph, yeah that’s been happening a lot lately.”

Otabek is a patient man. He thinks he is, anyway. But his patience can only go so far in this situation.

“Really, Yura? I’m not the only one acting weird, you know.”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean! You mumble all the time now. Did you know you fidget a lot? You do. I can always tell what you’re thinking. Except you don’t anymore. You sit totally still. What’s up with that? I feel like you’re leaving me.”

He didn’t mean to come apart at the seams in the middle of his point, but now that it’s out, he clenches his fist around his phone and waits.

“’mnotleavinyou.”

“You’re mumbling _AGAIN._ ”

“I said I’m not leaving you!”

“Then what are you doing?! Because it definitely feels like you’re pushing me away every time you do it!”

He definitely didn’t mean to start an argument, he doesn’t want Yuri to go, he loves him so much and he just can’t tell him and if he goes-

“I’M TELLING YOU I LOVE YOU. EVERY TIME. I love you. So much. And when I say it on accident, I freeze up, because what if you hear me? What if you hate me? I can’t lose you, Beka. I love you.”

Yuri’s breath is heaving over the phone line and Otabek freezes. He needs to shake his thoughts out now or this won’t end well for either of them.

“Yura.”

“B-beka?”

“Say it again.”


	3. 6./12./18. things you said under the stars and in the grass when you thought i was asleep and you were scared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> as requested by [commanderofthepugs](https://commanderofthepugs.tumblr.com/)

Otabek is never quite as beautiful as when he’s surrounded by nature. It just does something to open him up and expose the vulnerable core that Yuri already knows is there. It tears him open and shows off the rawest parts of his warmth, the parts that Yuri wants to live in forever. These parts of Otabek are rarely seen by anyone, and to this day, Yuri is a little unsure of why it is he gets to see them. He’s not complaining, though. Well, maybe he is a bit. But just at this precise moment.

Yuri is a terrible actor. He’s a skater and he has to show emotion on the ice, yeah, but he’s never been good at faking things. So now that he finds himself laying on the top of a soft, grass-coated hill underneath a crystal clear night sky, he’s finding it hard not to react to the deep-bass voice that he has a nearly pavlovian response to.

Otabek is humming some folk song he learned as a child, and Yuri just wants to press himself closer. He wants to feel the song rumbling through Otabek’s chest and reverberating through his stomach. He wants to press his face to the smooth expanse of his throat and feel the vibrations of the vocal chords he holds dearest. The problem is that he can’t. He “fell asleep” thirty minutes ago, so he’s sort of stuck.

Otabek finishes his song and shifts in his sleeping bag.

“You awake, Yura?”

He doesn’t have any practice in this sort of thing, but Yuri thinks that he does an admirable job of keeping his breathing even and deep.

“I’m afraid, Yura.”

Well, that’s not fair.

Otabek laughs, “I guess you really are asleep. Well then, I guess now is a perfect time to tell you how I feel, isn’t it?”

No. No it isn’t. This  _really_  is not fair.

“I feel like my wheels are spinning, but I’m not on quite the right road yet, you know? I know where I want to go, but I’m having trouble navigating myself to that point. It’s like my directions aren’t totally there. My GPS is broken? No, that’s fucking stupid, forget that.”

Otabek’s sleeping bag rustles as he flops around on the ground.

“What I’m getting at is that I know where my roads lead. They all lead to you.”

Okay, what the fuck.

“I just don’t know how to get there, Yura. How do I get there?”

Yuri’s had enough. He flips over, pinning his hands on either side of Otabek’s head.

“YOU ASK ME FOR DIRECTIONS, DUMBASS.”


	4. 9. things you said when i was crying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> as requested by [iguanastevens](http://iguanastevens.tumblr.com/)

When Otabek finally finds him, Yuri is curled into a ball against a wall in the back of the building. He didn’t want anyone to see him like this, much less his fiancé. It’s still a problem for him, even after all this time, showing weakness to anyone.

When he started skating, it was for the combined love of the sport and his family. The sport supported his mind’s need to be free, and the money supported his family’s need to live. A win-win when you think about it.

But now, at the ripe old age of 25, his body has decided that it’s time to go. He wakes up every day with pain in his knees and popping in his back. His left shoulder tingles when it thunderstorms. He hasn’t seen himself without dark circles under his eyes in roughly a year. It’s definitely time.

When he first announced that this would be his final Grand Prix, all he felt in the moment was relief. He could go out on top, and place the final period on this chapter of his life himself. He didn’t want to let his body force him into it. He wasn’t so naïve as to think he wasn’t pushing his luck as it was.

Now, though? That it’s over? It’s crushing.

His final Grand Prix gold medal hangs heavy on his neck, his tears sliding down his cheeks thick as molasses. He knew this was coming, for crying out loud! He prepared his body, his mind, his future. He lined up physical therapy, college courses, savings accounts, and a home for his future family. With Otabek behind him, he thought he could make it through unscathed.

The thing nobody tells you about retirement is how much it makes you think. While he stood on the podium, flashing over the last decade-and-a-half of his life, he felt the weight of his history laying heavy on his shoulders, and all he wanted by the end was to get out of there. Skating was his everything for so long, and now it was gone.

Which brings him to now, curled into himself and sobbing on the floor while the love of his life rubs circles into his back and whispers reassurances into his ear. Otabek waits for his breathing to even out a bit and holds out his sleeve for Yuri to wipe his nose. It’s disgusting. Yuri loves him so much.

“Yura, do you remember when I proposed to you?”

Yuri snorts, but instantly regrets it as soon as a snot bubble pops on his upper lip.

Wiping his face with his own sleeve, he croaks out a bleak, “Yeah.”

“Do you remember how I told you how proud I was of you? How grateful I am to have you in my life?”

“Of course I do.”

“Do you want to know why I waited until you told me you were retiring?”

“I had no idea you were waiting at all.”

Otabek huffs a laugh, “I’m good at keeping secrets.”

Yuri rolls his eyes and Otabek continues, “I waited until you decided to retire because I know how hard this is. You were there for me when I went through it. I knew I wanted to be there for you when you went through it. But then, I needed you to know that I want to be there for everything after. I want to be there when you graduate. I want to be there when you get your first job. I want to be the one you have kids with. I want to be the one you have gross old-man sex with when we’re ancient and take our dentures out at night before bed. This sucks. A lot. But you have to go through this to get to that.”

Yuri smiles and grabs Otabek’s arm, “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Yura.”

“One more thing?”

“What is it?”

Yuri lifts Otabek’s arm and wipes his nose on his sleeve.


	5. 10.  things you said that made me feel like shit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> as requested by [jllusive](https://jllusive.tumblr.com/)

The worst part of being able to see the end approaching is feeling the prickling pain of slow loss that comes with it. It would be one thing, Yuri thinks, to have the rug pulled out from beneath him. To have it happen lightning quick – just a brief flash and nothing after. This has been much worse.

“Do you know the last time you told me you loved me?” Otabek asks from the doorway of the kitchen. “Can you even remember?”

He can’t.

“Do you remember the last time I told you about my family?”

He doesn’t.

“Do you recall the last time you honestly told me how you felt about me?”

He doesn’t.

“Do you remember the last time I told you I loved you?”

He does.

It was three months ago. It was their anniversary. It was in a card. Otabek wasn’t home when he read it.

The thing about their relationship that always stuck with him was the hurricane heavy force of it. In all things, they were hard and fast and all-consuming. Their friendship was a riptide, pulling them under until it dragged their ragdoll souls along as it so chose. When they developed romantic feelings for each other, the riptide turned into coastal flooding, decimating everything in its path. When they moved in together, on the foundation of that leveled earth, they should have known that a castle on the sand is not meant to last.

“Yuri, I-“

Yuri. Otabek hadn’t called him Yuri since before they began dating. He never thought his own name would make him feel like shit. The weight of it, the meaning of the tone, the way Otabek says it with his eyes pinched closed. He sucks in a short breath, bracing himself for the inevitability he feels.

“I’m leaving, Yuri.”

Perhaps the worst part of all of this is the heaviness he feels in all the things he knows Otabek won’t say.


	6. 15. things you said with too many miles between us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> as requested by [otasucc](http://otasucc.tumblr.com/)

The sound of his phone vibrating itself off of his nightstand and onto the floor startles Otabek out of his slumber with a jerk and a snort. He’d never been a particularly heavy sleeper, but drinking himself into a stupor the night before certainly didn’t help things. He doesn’t drink much, and getting trashed always puts him on edge. He should have known better.

**Yuri.P:** _Otabek._

**Yuri.P:** _Otabek I can’t believe you._

**Yuri.P:** _You can’t just text me things like this._

**Yuri.P:** _This is so unfair of you._ ****

Otabek snaps upright in bed, head swimming and gut churning. What did he say? The last thing he remembers is getting home and grabbing the bottle of vodka he keeps hidden in the back of the cleaning cabinet. Things after that get a little blurred around the edges.

Taking a steadying breath, Otabek scrolls up in the conversation to the last things he typed. His stomach drops as he begins to read.

 **O.Altin:**   _Y ura._ ****

**O.Altin:** _yur a. I love youo_

**O.Altin:** _its not just I love you._

**O.Altin:** _i love evry bit of you_

**O.Altin:** _your eyes ar ethe only thing I see in a room, did you know that+?_

**O.Altin:**   _i have dreams about touching your hair yuraa, about briading it for you befroe bed_

**O.Altin:** _I have lvoed every inch of you bodya nd soul since the day I met yuo_

**O.Altin:** _maybe before._

**O.Altin:** _anyway thought you shuld know goodnight_

Otabek lives his life on the ice. He lives his life in airports. He lives his life in suitcases, and taxis, and stifling hotel rooms. The point here is that he lives in a constant state of flux. He’s used to things coming and going and never staying the same. This, however, is not something he was prepared for. He can’t stomach the idea of Yuri being one of the things in his life to come and go just as easily. He can’t imagine the thought that maybe he’s screwed this up beyond repair.

Otabek scrubs his hands over his face, trying to come up with a plan, and freezes when his phone vibrates again in his lap.

 **Yuri.P:**   _Otabek, I know you’ve seen these messages._

**Yuri.P:** _I can see your read receipts, you dumbass._

**Yuri.P:**   _We should talk._

Otabek’s blood goes cold. His phone rings. He hits accept.

“Yura,” he rasps into the receiver, “I-“

“Is this your idea of romance? Put me on a plane, get wasted, and pour your heart out as soon as I walk through my door? IN TEXT MESSAGES?!”

He does his best to stifle the sob that works its way up his throat, “Yura, I’m-“

“Listen to me right now, Otabek Altin. I don’t even know if you meant it, but I have been waiting years to hear those things from you! Do you hear me?! YEARS _._  You will not, I repeat,  _will not_  take that away from me by being a drunk asshole! I can’t even-“

“I meant it.”

The line goes silent. Otabek’s heart stops beating.

“Y-you what?”

“I meant it. Every word. I’m so sorry I did it this way, but I meant it.”

Silence. Yuri breathing. Typing in the background. A ding.

“Okay,” Yuri breathes, “Okay. Check your email.”

“What?”

“Your flight leaves at four. I’ll see you tonight.”


	7. 16. things you said with no space between us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i received 2 anonymous requests for this one
> 
> jsyk, it gets a little spicy, but nothing too wild

Yuri’s back slams up against the wall, knocking the wind out of him. This isn’t exactly how he imagined his night going, but all things considered, he really can’t complain.

When Milla called him to go out with the team, he really didn’t want to go. He had homework to do, he wanted to go back over his programs, he really needed to do the dishes, and he couldn’t even remember the last time he had gotten home before one in the morning. All these things kept piling up and stressing him out, so naturally he agreed to meet at her place.

An hour later, when they rolled into their usual club wearing their most ridiculous outfits, he could immediately tell something was different. The music tonight didn’t sound like it normally did, all high pitched techno and squealing. No, tonight’s music was  _heavy_. It was full of bass and smoke and sensuality. It was exactly his type of music.

It took precisely two drinks and seven minutes to get Milla out on the dance floor and grinding with him. Shortly after they started dancing, the song changed over to something darker and Milla whistled in his ear.

“Yura, I don’t know if you can feel it, but the DJ is staring you down. Hard.”

Curiously, Yuri raised his eyes and met the gaze of the most gorgeous man he’d ever seen in his life. His face was all handsome angles and brooding eyebrows and serious gaze. His hair was trimmed into an undercut, which while unfortunate, still managed to be attractive somehow. They stared at each other for a few long seconds before the man cocked an eyebrow and went right back to work.

“Jesus shitting  _Christ_ , Yura. Did you guys have sex just now? Is that what just happened? I’m feeling a little secondhand wet from that.”

Yuri didn’t even look back at her, “I’m gonna go get some fresh air.”

He ducked out of the crowd and through the side door leading out to the smoker’s patio. Nobody ever uses it, they all smoke inside anyway, so he ended up with the place to himself. He rested his back against the wall, and braced his hands on his knees, taking in a deep breath.

“From the way you were dancing, I didn’t peg you as a smoker,” a deep voice sounded from the doorway, and Yuri, startled looked up into the face of the very same DJ that he assumed he just had very serious eye sex with.

“You’d be correct,” he answered, “I just…needed a minute.”

The DJ stepped forward, “Do you mind if I spend that minute with you?”

Yuri knew where this would be going. He was proven correct the moment the DJ grabbed him by the hips and shoved him back into the brick, stealing the breath from his lungs.

“I’m Otabek,” he says, sliding his tongue up Yuri’s throat and breaking him out of his reverie, “and you are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

Yuri gasps as Otabek nips his ear, “Yuri, and I bet you say that to all the boys.”

Otabek noses down the side of his face, pressing kisses to Yuri’s jaw, “Just the ones I’m taking home tonight.”


	8. 20. things you said that i wasn’t meant to hear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> as requested by [la-belle-et-la-bete](http://la-belle-et-la-bete.tumblr.com/)

Yuuri Kastuki was no quitter. Sometimes he had his stops and starts, his anxiety swirling through and around him, but he never just gave up. This time, though, he might not have a choice.

Lately, Viktor’s been acting pretty strange. When he answers his phone, he leaves the room. When he gets emails, he reads them with his phone angled away. Sometimes he’ll leave the house and just not say where he’s going. It’s enough to make anyone suspicious, but it’s more than enough to make Yuuri panic just a little bit.

If this whole thing falls apart, where else is Yuuri supposed to go? Sure, he could go back home, but that would be admitting failure, wouldn’t it? He’s not so sure he could face that. He can’t face that. He has to try.

Yuuri Katsuki is no quitter. He’s a fighter when he needs to be, and it seems to be time for a fight.

Viktor’s phone rings again, but this time when he answers, Yuuri follows.

“…if he finds out, the whole thing is ruined.”

Viktor puts his hand on his hip and walks in small circles around the patio.

“Well I know that, but I can’t keep lying to him like this. It just isn’t fair.”

Yuuri feels a small buzzing gather at the back of his head. The walls start pushing in just a little bit, and he’s not sure if he has the strength to keep them at bay.

Viktor sighs into the receiver, “Well, I’m telling him soon. I’m not good at keeping secrets, and we can’t just keep pretending that hiding this is going to work. Yeah. Yeah, I know. Yeah, bye.”

Tears are gathering in Yuuri’s eyes now, and even though he feels low for listening in, he can’t help but tremble at the confirmation that his instincts were right. He feels the familiar flame of indignation rise within him, and he prepares himself with steely resolve.

Viktor steps back into the room and Yuuri pounces, “Who was that on the phone?”

“Huh? Oh nobody, just a sponsorship question. Are you crying?”

“Don’t change the subject and  _don’t lie to me_. Who. Was on. The phone?”

Viktor stops.

“I’ve been pretty patient with you, don’t you think, Viktor? I don’t really ask questions, I mind my own business, I let you do your own thing, but it gets old after a while. So I’m asking you again. Who was on the phone?”

He watches Viktor’s eyes slide shut and reopen three times before he opens his mouth to answer.

“How much did you hear?”

“Enough for me to ask questions.”

Viktor pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs heavily, “It’s a gift for you.”

“What kind of excu-wait, a gift?”

“I’m having a song commissioned for my program this year and Yuri was helping me run notes back and forth. It’s about you. I was trying to keep it a secret, but I’m not good with secrets.”

“Yes I know,” Yuri answers, allowing the tears to release themselves down his cheeks. “I thought you were leaving me.”

“Oh my dear Yuuri, never! I just wanted to do something nice for you. You came all the way here to me, and I wanted to give you my thanks for your love.”

“Oh.”

Viktor gathers Yuuri up in his arms, “Would you like to hear it?”


	9. 23.  things you said under your breath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> as requested by [the-angry-walnut-fairy](https://the-angry-walnut-fairy.tumblr.com/)
> 
> fun fact: this was the first viktuuri i've ever written!

Nobody could have prepared Viktor for falling in love. It’s simply something that he had to learn about for himself. He wishes, though, that  _someone_  could have prepared him for falling in love with Yuuri Katsuki.

The man was a gift, honestly. He was beautiful, he was kind, he was generous, he was precious, he had an ass that didn’t quit. Unfortunately for Victor, he also had a mouth that could walk a thousand miles around a man before dinner without that man even knowing what was happening.

On this particular afternoon, it seemed that Yuuri was determined to get a full workout.

It started before they even left the house. Typically, Viktor was up first to walk Makkachin. When he came back to their place, he would make some coffee and go get Yuuri out of bed for practice. This morning, though, his alarm had failed him. He woke up ten minutes late, which really doesn’t seem like much, but when your husband is basically a corpse in the morning, every second counts.

Because he woke up late, he had to take a different route with Makkachin. He gets distracted (the dog, not Viktor, of course), and so it ate up extra time he hadn’t planned for. Before he knew what was happening, it was 7:30 and he really needed to get home Right Now. He got back just in time to scoot Yuuri out of bed and rush them out the door – coffeeless. This was mistake number one.

When they arrived at the rink, Viktor realized he left his rink keyset at home. He kept two, neatly labeled by Yuuri, on a rack by the door and in his haste, he must have grabbed the wrong set. They were already ten minutes late when he had to call Yuri to come let them in the front door. This was mistake number two.

When they finally got onto the ice, Yuuri was awake. More or less. But it wasn’t the good kind of awake. It was the kind of awake that bubbled and churned just under the surface. It was the kind of awake that kept Yuuri buzzing with annoyance. This kind of awake was dangerous. This was the kind of awake that unleashed the silver tongued demon inside of Yuuri.

Two hours into practice, Viktor had Yuuri running through his short program, marking his jumps. Apparently, this was unacceptable to Yuuri, because he gave up and ran through the program with all of his jumps in tact.

“Yuuuurrriiii,” Viktor groans, “If you can’t listen to the judgement of your coach, how can you expect to win?”

This question was mistake number three.

“Hmmph. Mrbifmchwasndsctbrjandjdsn.”

It was the mumble. The tell-tale mumble that meant Viktor was about to get his ass torn to shreds with nary a regard for any poor soul in the vicinity.

Swallowing thickly, Viktor closes his eyes and lets slip a tiny, “What, dear?”

“I  _said_ ,” Yuri intones, “Maybe if my  _coach_  had woken me up  _on time_ , had  _coffee ready_ , remembered his  _clearly labeled_  keys, and not gotten us here  _late_  because he wanted to stop and check his hair in a  _storefront_ , I could listen to his judgement just a  _little bit better._ ”

The whole rink stops moving. Mila throws her hands over her face to stifle her laughter. Yuri is on the floor, pretending to stretch, but shaking and snorting all the same.

It’s a fair point. God, this man needs some coffee.


	10. 23. things you said [through the bedroom door]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> as requested by [kanekkis](https://kanekkis.tumblr.com/)

“Beka, please.”

Yuri knocks on the door for the third time in ten minutes and pleads, “Please let me in.”

He can hear the soft shifting of bed sheets and the wet gasping of quiet sniffles. Otabek never did like for Yuri to see him crying.

“Beka, baby, I can’t help you if I’m out here. I can’t do anything if I’m out here.”

“Just leave me alone, Yura,” Otabek croaks, “There’s nothing you can do.”

Yuri knows that he’s both correct and incorrect. He can’t fix it – nobody can – but he can be there. He can stay by Otabek’s side and do whatever it takes to see him smile again. Otabek hiccups, but it sounds muffled. He must be wrapped up in the blankets.

Yuri sighs, “Alright, here’s what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna go make us a cup of tea. Then I’m coming back and you’re drinking it with me. Then we’re gonna talk about what you want to do from here. I’m going to let you be sad, but that’s not all you get to be.”

Otabek sighs, which Yuri takes to be as good of a yes as he thinks he’s going to get, so he heads into the kitchen to put on the kettle. While the teabags steep, he thinks of the best way to put his thoughts into words. The x-rays of Otabek’s knee were heartbreaking. They both knew what they would see before the doctor even showed them, but having to face the cold reality of the end of an era was so much more difficult when you couldn’t pretend it wasn’t real anymore.

He grabs the teacups and moves back toward the bedroom, considering the best way to approach this. Bracing himself, he knocks one more time. Yuri loves Otabek, he really does, but he’s getting pretty tired of looking at this door.

“Alright, you don’t have to let me in, but you  _do_ have to let this cup of tea in. I made it just how you like. Lemon and honey and everything.”

Otabek doesn’t say anything, but Yuri can hear him trudge across the room and slide down the wall next to the entry. Yuri waits patiently and after a few minutes, the door cracks open and a tan hand just barely slides out. Yuri smiles and presses the cup into the fingers splayed before him before watching the door snap shut in his face.

“So,” he starts.

“So,” Otabek chokes out.

“This sucks, huh?”

“Yeah. It fucking sucks.”

“OTABEK ALTIN,” Yuri clutches his chest for dramatic effect. He knows Otabek can’t see him, but he also knows that Otabek will know exactly what he’s doing. “SUCH LANGUAGE! YOU KISS YOUR MOTHER WITH THAT MOUTH.”

Otabek snorts, “I do worse than that with this mouth, Yura.”

Yuri throws himself against the door, “BEKA. MY SENSITIVE DISPOSITION!”

Otabek chuckles. Good, now he’s getting somewhere.

“Look,” Yuri starts, “I know this is hard. And I know it’s sooner than you wanted it to be. But I’m here. You have me, and you have your family and friends. You have your music. You have your education. You have the stuff to get through this. We just have to get you through it.”

A few more silent minutes slip by while Yuri taps his fingers against his knee to keep himself focused and calm. Eventually, he hears the soft click of the lock and the light creaking of the hinges swinging open. Otabek pushes his hand out once more and Yuri grabs on tight, lacing their fingers. Squeezing lightly, he tries again, “Do you know how much I admire you? I always have. I remember when we first became friends thinking that there was no one else on earth that had the strength you did. I thought there was nothing you couldn’t do with just your grit alone. But you don’t have to do that, ya know? Maybe this time let me be that for you? It’s what I’m here for. So please, please let me in?”

His hand is getting clammy now, but he resolves to let it happen for as long as necessary.

The door swings open and Otabek drags him inside.


	11. 23. things you said [while we were stuck in an elevator]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> as requested by [eclair](http://eclair.tumblr.com/)

“Do you think I can climb out of the ceiling like they do in the movies?”

Otabek sighs, “No, Yura. I don’t think you can do that.”

“Why not? That’s the point of the little tiles, right?”

“I  _don’t know_ , Yura. I definitely don’t think you climbing on top of the elevator is a good idea, though.”

Otabek is really good at keeping a level head in situations like this. Yuri, however, is not. They’ve been stuck in this box for about an hour now, and all he wants is to get out. He’s not feeling claustrophobic or anything, but it’s uh, it’s getting there. Otabek can never know this.

“Otabek, do you think they know we’re here?”

“You heard me talking on the emergency phone. They know we’re here.”

“Okay, but do they know where  _here_  is? You didn’t talk for very long.”

“Look, I’m not saying you’re being stupid, but there are only two directions this elevator can go. Do you know those directions?”

“…up and down?”

“Up and down.”

Fair enough.

“But what if the elevator breaks more before they get here? Beka, what if we fall? I ONLY HAVE THREE GOLD MEDALS, BEKA. I CAN’T DIE YET.”

Otabek grabs Yuri by the shoulders, and the tension immediately drains away from his body.

“Yura, I love you, but now you really are being stupid.”

Yuri hears the heavy metallic screech of gears grinding to a stop and it takes him a brief moment to figure out that the sound is coming from inside his head rather than the death trap they’re currently suspended in. Otabek must have heard them too, because he’s completely still and deathly pale.

“Love…me?”

“I uhhh-“

The emergency phone rings and Otabek dives for it.

**Author's Note:**

> if i can make a request, please visit the tumblr users i linked to, they're all excellent and really nice people!
> 
> like always, you can find me on [tumblr](http://tootsonnewts.tumblr.com) & [twitter](https://twitter.com/these_mortals).
> 
> i'd love to hear from you!


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